Pak's apex court bars high court from releasing 290 military court convicts on bail

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Wednesday barred a high court from releasing on bail nearly 300 terrorists convicted by the military courts.

A bench of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) is currently hearing appeals filed by 290 convicted terrorists and their facilitators against their sentences by the military courts set up after the Peshawar school attack in 2014.

The federal government had requested the PHC to form a larger bench on the matter but Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth, who is hearing the case, rejected the plea.

The matter was taken to the apex court by the federal government where a bench comprising Justice Mushir Alam and Justice Qazi Amin heard the case along with the plea to bar the PHC from releasing the convicted militants on bail.

 

Attorney General of Pakistan Khalid Javed argued that any decision by the high court to grant bail to 290 convicts would cause an irreparable loss to the national security.

The bench accepted the plea against bails and also directed the PHC to proceed in the case on the merit. It also adjourned the hearing till Monday.

The Supreme Court is also hearing another appeal against PHC's earlier decision to set aside the conviction of more than 70 people by the military courts.

The PHC on October 18, 2018 overturned the military court sentences due to lack of evidence, which was challenged in the apex court, which in November 2018 directed the jail authorities not to release them.

The military courts remained operational for four years and convicted nearly 641 militants, with about 345 sentenced to death, at least 56 of whom have been hanged, and 296 were given prison sentences. Only five accused were acquitted, according to officials.